Jesse Jackson should follow the legacy of Rosa Parks and just sit the fuck down. And it logically follows that he should shut the hell up as well. Without causing controversy, I hate controversy (tongue in cheek) will someone out there agree that Jesse Jackson is a racist?


I am not an Obama fan. I dread an Obama Presidency. Not because he is black (couldn't care less if he was purple), not because he and I aren't in the same party, and not because I think he is a bad person. I just hate his politics. I think he is a good man with a good heart and absolutely nothing in common with me. But I feel bad for him. As a black man he has to walk the line between disagreeing with Jesse Jackson and coddling him because he can't afford to alienate him due to the pull he has with black voters. Obama has done an exceptional job of running his campaign without pandering to the self-appointed "leaders"of the black community. He hasn't embraced the politics of race and rejected those who tried to drag him into that quagmire. But even when taking the high road he is dragged into the stinking sewer of Jackson/Sharpton reverse racist horseshit at--of all things--a press conference with black voters! His dilemma is a classic one, old school vs. new. Obama did not come from the Jim Crow era and the methods practiced by the great warriors in the Civil Rights Movement like MLK and Rosa Parks (who remained a dignified, solid, and gracious icon her entire life) like sit-ins, protests and inflammatory rhetoric don't work like they once did. The black American is now a powerful force in everyday society and, not to imply that there isn't a lot more work to be done, have shattered many glass ceilings. Obama is of a different generation. The very fact that he won the Democratic nomination for President is solid evidence that America has matured to the point where we can have a dialogue about race. This dialogue is not only attainable but it is happening.

So Obama sends a stong message to the black community during a speech. Possibly too strong. With good intentions and a lack of foresight he tells those who will listen that the Black American needs to essentially smarten up and take responsibility for themselves. Take care of your kids, carry your head high and don't align yourselves with the masses who wallow in mediocrity. He said some pretty strong shit. Whether you agree with it or not, he felt it needed to be said. But not according to Jesse "the rhymemaster" Jackson. He accused Obama of pandering to white voters and talking down to his own people. He then referred to the huddled masses as "niggers" (not a controversial term when used by a black man apparently) and lamented that he wished he could 'cut Obama's balls off".

I am not going to get into whether I agree with Obama's speech or not, it is not relevant to the conversation. What is relevant is that I believe he meant well. I believe that he was trying to motivate people to be better. And I believe that there is no way that someone wasn't going to accuse him of "pandering to the white man". But of all people it shouldn't have been Jesse. Obama is the man who has done what Jesse has been hoping for his entire dubious career. But Jesse is not at center stage anymore and perhaps he knows that Obama doesn't need him. I bet that hurts.

Hey Jesse, race-baiting and old rhetoric are not going to take us into the future but it will instead keep us mired in the past. And while we're at it Elisabeth Hasselbeck's tearful dialogue with Whoopi on the view was right on. As much as Whoopi contends that "Nigger" is "their word" Hasselbeck is right that to truly get past it you need to stop using it. Not when it is convenient or carries political capital...but always.